Page 52 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
The snake advanced on me, ready to strike.
Chapter
Fifteen
EVIE
Iwas going to die.
I had no control over my body.
My switchblade was slowly slipping from my limp fingers.
A highly venomous snake flicked its tongue in the air at me, a hungry glint in its slick eyes.
Fear settled itself in my belly, a hot and pulsing whirlwind. The snake’s sharp scales scraped against the wooden floor. Coming closer.
With my chin forced upwards, it stung to keep my eyes facing down at such a sharp angle.
If I would die, I wanted to see it. My little act of defiance.
You can’t die. Not now, not like this, a small, yet forceful voice said from inside. It sounded so much like myself, it jolted me out of the dread racing through me.
I couldn’t run, but I could fight.
My mind wasn’t frozen and that was my best weapon.
As the snake kept advancing, I listened. Only its slither echoed in the room. There was nobody else here. No harsh breaths in the corner, no hushed cackle from the doorway.
But there was a small hiss; not from the snake. It sounded like a chant, flowing in from the small window behind me.
The windows had all been closed when Kaya and Vexa had left. But they could only be opened from the inside, I’d checked when I first moved here. I’d seen Goose leaving for the kitchen myself, and there was nobody else in this house.
Or maybe there was.
The snake lifted its head, tongue flicking faster.
My leg muscles hurt from trying to move them and failing.
Why couldn’t I move? What magic was this?
And why did it feel excruciatingly familiar?
Flashes of gold and dark eyes swam between the black spots crowding my vision.
I’ve been through this before.
The thought rattled around in my mind, cutting through the terror. Anger burned away at the fright.
Someone was playing with me, stringing me like a puppet.
Always remember who you are.
The snake’s head glided up my ankle. I could feel every little scale, each so rough the edges hooked into my skin.
And survive, whatever it takes.
Grandpa Constantine’s words bloomed in my mind, mixing in with the rage, spurring me on.
